Uchiha Izuna and Tobirama were baring their teeth and rolling up their sleeves, their faces nearly pressed together in a fierce standoff when—
A sudden voice cut through the tension.
"Who's there?!"
Senju Hashirama's brows furrowed as he instantly entered a state of high alert. His muscles tensed, and a deep blue chakra surged over his body.
"Wait... that voice?"
Surprisingly, it was Madara who showed a strange expression upon hearing it. He lifted his pitch-black eyes and turned to look toward the source.
There, sitting casually next to Hashirama's newlywed wife and chatting away like it was nothing, was a man with familiar curly hair.
For the first time in a long while, the usually cold and stern demon of the shinobi world—Madara—smiled.
"Big cousin? What are you doing here?"
Izuna's eyes lit up. Upon hearing the familiar voice, he completely forgot about Tobirama and rushed over joyfully.
He eagerly examined Uchiha Gin from head to toe, unable to hide the joy in his eyes.
"I just finished a mission. Saw the place was lively when I passed by, so I thought I'd swing in~"
Gin replied without even turning around as he continued chatting with Senju Tōka.
"Oh my, miss, how do you keep your skin so soft and radiant?"
"Eh? Oh, I was born this way. I just use ***."
"Really?! I use that too~"
"No way! I have to tell you, *** works even better when you combine it with—"
The two of them continued exchanging skincare tips like old girlfriends, completely dissolving the prior tension that had filled the room.
"Madara, who is he?"
Hashirama, frowning, stared at the curly-haired man. He looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place him, so he turned to Madara.
"He's my older brother. You've met him a few times, I think."
Madara answered flatly, though his brow slightly furrowed.
Was Hashirama trying to avoid that topic?
"That time at Nanga River?"
Hashirama's memory clicked as he asked in confirmation.
"Yeah."
"Huh? I thought he was killed by his father?"
Hashirama exclaimed in shock. He'd always believed that the man who followed Tajima back then had been punched to death by his own father.
He'd even felt guilty for years. After all, no one had ever survived a punch from his father, Buddha Senju.
"He didn't die. I saw him a few years ago."
Tobirama's calm voice interjected. He stood with arms crossed, eyes glowing red as he eyed Gin—not so much out of suspicion, but analyzing that dense head of curls.
"That was when we were hunting down the remnants of the Hagoromo clan. He helped some of them escape the Land of Fire."
"You mean the mission when Koji died?"
At the mention of the Hagoromo clan, Hashirama's face fell again. They'd never figured out why Koji died. The scene had been too strange, and even Tobirama couldn't piece together what had happened.
"Cousin, what are you doing here?"
Unlike the Senju brothers, who were now lost in thought, Madara—already tipsy—asked his cousin with genuine curiosity.
Gin had always kept a low profile. For him to appear at an event like this was surprising.
"Well, today is Lady Tōka's big day! As her dearest friend, I had to come and celebrate~"
Gin clapped his hands and smiled, then began rummaging through his bag.
"You know her?"
Madara was stunned. Since when did his cousin have friends in the Senju clan?
"What do you mean, you know this Uchiha?"
Tobirama's alarm bells went off immediately. He had investigated Tōka thoroughly—he even knew the color of her underwear. Nowhere in his files did it mention any connection between her and the Uchiha.
"Huh?"
In truth, the most confused one was Tōka herself.
She swore this was the first time she'd ever met Gin. They'd only exchanged a few words, so how was he suddenly calling her his best friend?
"No, this is our first time meeting."
Seeing everyone staring, Gin waved his hands and quickly clarified:
"But Miss Tōka and I clicked right away—like old friends!"
"Tch~"
Everyone instantly lost interest.
Just a self-proclaimed friendly guy.
"Well, I just came back from a mission and didn't have time to prepare a fancy gift. These gold bars will have to do as a red envelope~"
Gin pulled out a massive gold brick from his tiny backpack and placed it in Tōka's delicate hands.
"W-Wait, this is too much!"
The heavy gold bar nearly slipped through her fingers. Even as a powerful kunoichi, Tōka was overwhelmed. She'd never seen so much wealth in one place.
Just as she was about to refuse, Gin casually took out a second brick and placed it in her hands as well.
"Don't be shy. This is the cheapest gift I had on me~"
And he didn't stop there. One by one, gold bricks kept coming until a pile of over a dozen bricks surrounded Tōka.
"They're real gold…"
Tobirama instantly flashed to the pile and inspected one. The weight and density confirmed it—genuine gold. Enough to buy an entire city.
"Hahaha! Madara, is your brother a merchant?"
Hashirama's jaw dropped. He turned to Madara, eager to know who this brother really was.
"No, my brother's a jailer. As for the gold, I have no clue where he gets it."
Madara was used to Gin's wild spending. He never cared for money, so every holiday Gin's gold gifts went straight to Izuna.
At this point, Izuna probably had enough to build a house out of bricks.
"Tsk… hey, does your brother need another little brother?"
"…Hah?"
"Uh, I mean, can we sign Tobirama up?"
Tobirama, unaware he'd just been sold, dropped the gold bar in his hand and studied Gin.
To his surprise, Gin hadn't aged a day—he still looked exactly like he did six years ago.
"You… why haven't you aged?"
A man of learning always has questions. Even if the other was a mortal enemy, Tobirama's curiosity knew no bounds.
"Hmm~ Maybe the power of money~"
Gin replied vaguely, keeping the real secret—his Yin Seal—under wraps. He wasn't about to let the white-haired freak research it and replicate his method.
Though… giving them gold wasn't technically aiding the enemy?
Well, let's say it's Itama's life insurance. He still needed to "rent" that kid for a while.
"Mr. Gin, you're truly generous."
As they say, money talks—even enemies find nice things to say when they're buried in cash.
"Ah, Miss Tōka, you flatter me! We're all family here~"
Gin waved humbly, playing the role of a kind elder with ease.
"Uchiha Gin, huh? I, Senju Hashirama, will consider you a friend."
Hashirama, sensing the genuine goodwill from Gin and with grand ambitions in mind, reached out to shake his hand.
Given his future importance, Gin couldn't refuse. This handshake was an investment in Konoha's future leadership.
He took the hand and, ever the smooth talker, even praised Madara:
"Oh please, Madara is always under your care. As his big cousin, I deeply appreciate your kindness."
"Ugh—you're spouting nonsense!"
Though slightly drunk, Madara clearly heard him and immediately slammed his cup down in protest.
"Alright, alright. I know what's going on. Having trouble seeing clearly these days, huh?"
Gin rolled his eyes and set Madara's tipped-over cup upright.
"Hmph! No, I'm fine."
Madara stiffened, caught off guard, but refused to admit anything.
"Sure, sure. I'll give you a check-up when we get back. Just to be safe."
Gin could tell his Sharingan was in decline, but didn't press further.
After shaking Hashirama's hand, he naturally took a seat, raised his cup, and addressed the gathering.
"Congratulations to Miss Tōka and Brother Hashirama on your marriage. I'll drink first—everyone else, help yourselves~"
One drink down, and Gin's grin widened.
Never thought he'd attend the First Hokage's wedding. What a rare and precious memory.
"Mr. Gin, I toast to you~"
Tōka, now beaming after securing the gold, raised a cup and offered a small bow.
"Oh, no need to be formal. Wishing you both lots of babies~"
You better get busy—time's ticking.
Even if the father changes, Tsunade still needs to be born. The fun wouldn't be the same without her.
"Hehe, thank you for the blessing~"
"Gin—calling you 'Mr.' feels distant. Since you're Madara's brother, may I call you Big Brother Gin?"
Hashirama, full of genuine goodwill and already scheming, clinked his cup with Gin's.
Heh… win over the big cousin first, and Madara's not far behind!
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]